xCBL 3.0. "The Common Business Library, or xCBL, is a set of XML building blocks and a document framework that allows the creation of robust, reusable, XML documents for e-commerce. These elemental building blocks were defined based on extensive research and collaboration by Commerce One and the leading XML industry initiatives. xCBL can help accelerate any trading partner's XML efforts by providing these building blocks and a document framework. Consistent with this purpose, xCBL is available free of charge in prominent XML repositories. Version 3.0 of xCBL represents a fundamental change in scope and design goals, providing support for direct goods scenarios, ERP integrations, and standards such as RosettaNet and OBI, along with many flavors of industry-standard X12 and UN/EDIFACT EDI. xCBL version 3.0 was announced at the eLink conference in Hong Kong on November 29, 2000. xCBL version 3.0 is different from the preceding versions in one major respect: instead of being a single, extensible set of documents for doing Order Management, it has become a wide-ranging set of messages intended to provide interoperability across a broader range of direct goods and procurement scenarios, and to act as a central language for managing different syntaxes, as well as a simple set of messages for doing e-commerce. xCBL 3.0 is provided in SOX Schema format, XDR Schema format, and XML DTD format to support all types of applications. There are very minor differences between the XML instances used with these different structural descriptions for validation and parsing. xCBL 3.0 covers a wide variety of B2B e-commerce scenarios, in both the MRO/Indirect Procurement and Direct Goods arenas."
About XML Common Business Library (xCBL): "The XML Common Business Library (xCBL) is a set of XML building blocks and a document framework that allows the creation of robust, reusable, XML documents to facilitate global trading. It essentially serves as the "mother code," providing one language that all e-marketplace participants can understand. This interoperability allows businesses everywhere to easily exchange documents across multiple e-marketplaces, giving global access to buyers, suppliers, and providers of business services. xCBL 3, the latest version, provides a smooth migration path from EDI-based commerce because of its origins in EDI semantics. xCBL will be able to support all essential documents and transactions for global e-commerce including multi-company supply chain automation, direct and indirect procurement, planning, auctions, and invoicing and payment in an international multi-currency environment. xCBL is the result of extensive collaboration between Commerce One. and the leading XML standards bodies, e-commerce enterprises, and hardware and software vendors, as well as analysis of existing e-commerce standards including Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), RosettaNet, and Open Buying on the Internet (OBI). Industry leaders Compaq, Microsoft, SAPMarkets, and Sun Microsystems will leverage xCBL 3.0 as a key standard in the development and delivery of business-to-business solutions."
Earlier description: "The Common Business Library (CBL) is being developed by Veo Systems, Inc. as a set of building blocks with common semantics and syntax to ensure interoperability among XML applications. CBL consists of information models for generic business concepts including: 1) business description primitives like companies, services, and products; 2) business forms like catalogs, purchase orders, and invoices; 3) standard measurements, date and time, location, classification codes. Industry-specific XML applications that reuse CBL for generic information and common business documents can be developed more quickly and better understood in other domains because of their common elements. CBL may be considered as 'glue'that connects pieces of existing e-commerce functionality.
"CBL consists of an extensible, public set of XML DTDs and modules, supported by reference documentation and samples. CBL (version 1.1) has been submitted to CommerceNet, RosettaNet, and other organizations with XML initiatives and is available for public use at no cost."
"Veo's platform streamlines corporate procurement by transforming manufacturing supply chains and distribution channels into supply webs. More specifically, it enables computers to exchange data sheets, price lists, purchase orders and other structured business documents without prior arrangement using email and the Web. Eliminating the need for custom interfaces with every customer and supplier slashes integration costs. More importantly, it makes possible a multitude of innovative real time services such as tracking and managing inventory, open sourcing, and demand forecasting.
[July 28, 1999] Commerce One Releases the Common Business Library (CBL) Version 2.0. - A Comprehensive XML Document Library. A July 1999 announcement from Commerce One, Inc. publicized the release of CBL version 2.0, said to be "the first XML specification for electronic commerce designed to take advantage of the expressive power of XML schemas. As a demonstration of its commitment to interoperability, CBL is available in three different schema languages: Microsoft's XML Data Reduced (XDR), the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) XML Schema Definition Language (XDSL), and Commerce One's Schema for Object-oriented XML (SOX)." From the announcement: "In a move to accelerate adoption of business-to-business electronic commerce, Commerce One, Inc. today announced the Commerce One Common Business Library (CBL) 2.0, the first open XML specification for the cross-industry exchange of business documents such as purchase orders, invoices, product descriptions, and shipping schedules. Commerce One CBL 2.0 is a set of XML building blocks and a document framework that allows the creation of robust, reusable XML documents for electronic commerce. Using the CBL 2.0 document framework, businesses everywhere can conduct electronic commerce by seamlessly exchanging business documents of different types, resulting in frictionless commerce across multiple trading communities. To enable companies to preserve their investment in existing standards such as traditional Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), CBL 2.0 provides a transition path to XML-based commerce capability. Based on a broad range of Internet and commerce-related industry standards and specifications, CBL 2.0 is endorsed by industry leaders including Microsoft's BizTalk initiative, OASIS, the UN/CEFACT Techniques and Methodologies Working Group, and CommerceNet and its eCo Framework Project and Working Group. To encourage its industry-wide adoption and development, CBL 2.0 is free of charge and available immediately from e-commerce document repositories including XML.org, BizTalk.org, CommerceNet and Commerce One MarketSite.net." See the press release: "Commerce One Announces Common Business Library -- CBL 2.0. Industry's First Comprehensive XML Document Library. Standard XML Approach Endorsed by Microsoft, CommerceNet, UN/CEFACT and OASIS."
Links:
xCBL 3.0 Document Definitions - XML DTD Version. Cache. " XML DTDs are the validation mechanism officially specified for use in XML 1.0, and are supported by all XML applications. Because of this, DTDs are provided so that these applications may be used to work with xCBL documents. All of xCBL 3.0 is a single large DTD file: if you look at xCBL30.dtd, you will find that it points to a set of entity files that correspond to the SOX .mod files. The DTDs are available as a download, to be installed locally for use, and as a set of browsable pages, showing the schemas as they are expressed in the DTD entity files, arranged alphabetically." See also the SOX schemas [cache] and the XDR version.
xCBL Standard Mappings for ANSI X12 4010. "Standards Mappings will cover the official mappings between many of today's popular standard business vocabularies, and the corresponding messages in xCBL 3.0. These mappings cover both EDI standards and XML standards." Includes Regular Notation Mapping Spreadsheets, Xpath Notation Mapping Spreadsheets, Other Mapping Aids.
Announcement: Common Business Library -- CBL 2.0
"Introduction to the Common Business Library (CBL)." September 2, 1998.
"The XML Revolution in Internet Commerce. Making the Web Accessible to Commerce Agents." - White Paper. By Robert J. Glushko, Jay M. Tenenbaum, and Bart Meltzer , Veo Systems, Inc. See also the online abstract.
Technical Overview of Version 1.1 of the Common Business Library (CBL)
"CBL for OBI." By Terry Allen. A a description of a scenario and set of CBL 1.1 XML documents that support the functionality of the Open Buying on the Internet (OBI) specification.
Metastructures 1998 Presentation. Murray Maloney (VEO Systems) - "Electronic Commerce and the Common Business Language."
"Joint Venture Awarded $5 Million To Develop Next-generation Infrastructure for Electronic Commerce" - According to Robert Glushko, the goal with eCo System is to make Web sites and services self-descriptive or 'smart enough' to function as 'plug and play' components that all work together. ECo will enable innovative commerce services that use software agents to compare, aggregate, integrate, and translate data in Web documents, databases, and applications. . . eCo frameworks will utilize emerging industry standards such as XML, Java Beans, and CORBA. . . CNgroup will also provide expertise in the use of XML in eCo to describe Web services and catalogs and the messages exchanged by business objects." [local archive copy]
[September 09, 1998] "Commerce One and Veo Systems Form Strategic Partnership to Develop XML-Based Trading Partner Solutions." - "Together, the two companies will integrate Veo Systems' XML-based technology into the Commerce Chain Solution by Commerce One to create dynamic, self-describing, electronic commerce services that can be leveraged across trading communities." See: Veo News page.
